1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an insulating pulp for insulating buildings and other type structures and wherein the pulp is comprised of organic fibers having a fiber length of from about 1.0 mm to 3 mm and contains a fire retardant additive as well as a corrosive buffing agent. The invention also encompasses the method of producing the pulp in its fluffed form or compressed sheet form as well as the method of applying the fluff organic pulp in spaces to be insulated by an applicator machine.
2. Description of Prior Art
It is known to provide insulation as loose fill material and injecting same into cavities provided in structures, and reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,738 as an example of this. The majority of these free flowing thermal insulating materials are formed from inorganic substances which are treated with various additives having fire retardants or anti-corrosive properties. Some of the inconveniences of such loose fill insulation is that it is awkward to manipulate and transport and produces a lot of dust when disturbed, such as during the application thereof in building structures. A still further major disadvantage of such insulation is that it is difficult to get a substantially even distribution thereof in cavities which are disposed in vertical planes as the insulation has a tendency of propagating towards the bottom of the cavity by gravity. The result is that eventually the wall structures of buildings have a higher density of insulation at the bottom and minimal density or none whatsoever in the top portion thereof where the maximum amount of heat is found and escapes through the wall. In an attempt to alleviate this problem, some have suggested placing a net inside the cavity or on the face wall of the cavity such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,347. This is an expensive, time-consuming solution and due to the property of most insulation, and particularly its density, it is still difficult to obtain a substantially even distribution of insulation within cavities.